What You Need to Know about Breach and Attack Simulation

As the tools, technology, and processes to launch cyberattacks become increasingly sophisticated, organizations’ security controls must be more proactive than ever to get ahead of potential breaches by identifying vulnerabilities before they become an issue.

Unfortunately, few executives are confident in their company’s security effectiveness. Research from Accenture found that only 52 percent of security executives and 38 percent of non-security executives agree that their organization is well-protected from cyber threats.

To get ahead of the latest cybersecurity threats, forward-thinking organizations are turning to breach and attack simulation (BAS). In fact, research shows the breach and attack simulation market is projected to reach $1.12 billion by the end of 2022 and see a compound annual growth rate of 35.12% by 2032.

If protecting sensitive data and preventing access to critical systems is a goal for your organization, then learn more about BAS solutions, including its benefits, use cases and what to look for in a vendor to enhance security posture.

What is Breach and Attack Simulation?  

Breach and attack simulation (BAS) is an advanced security testing method that involves playing the role of a sophisticated real-world threat actor to assess an organization’s security controls. BAS is defined by the larger market as automated security control validation that allows for continuous simulation, in most cases focused on validating detective control coverage. Market intelligence firm IDC defines key functions of BAS, including:  

• Attack: mimic real threats 
• Visualize: see exposures 
• Remediate: address gaps 

In today’s evolving threat landscape, a single click can expose an organization’s global environment to an adversary. Breach and attack simulation plays a critical role in protecting organizations’ systems and infrastructure by simulating common attack methods throughout the cyber kill chain and offering expert counsel to prioritize remediation steps. 

Advantages of Breach and Attack Simulation at Your Organization 

According to NetSPI data, 80 percent of common attack behaviors are missed by out-of-the-box solutions for endpoint detection and response (EDR), security information and event management (SIEM), and managed security service provider (MSSP). This can leave organizations with a false sense of security. 

While 100 percent detection doesn’t exist, breach and attack simulation can improve security controls to better detect a wide range of relevant attacks.  

Key benefits of breach and attack simulation include: 

• Test your organization’s security controls and defend against emerging cyber threats and attacks.
  To stay ahead of malicious actors and threats, organizations must focus on detecting threats before an attack. An advanced BAS solution can continuously replicate real attack behavior, measure the effectiveness of security controls and identify gaps with customizable procedures. Because BAS mimics real-world threat actors, security teams can identify common adversary behaviors and — armed with this information — more effectively prioritize detection development as well as investments.  

• Meet the challenge of today’s cybersecurity skills gap. 
  Reliance on technology has increased the need for workforces with technical expertise. The number of open positions in cybersecurity is increasing, while the demands put on employees are expanding, leading to fewer people taking on more responsibilities. Breach and Attack Simulation is a step in the right direction to combat today’s skills gap by directing the security team’s focus on the most impactful actions.  

• Help operational development and measure detective controls. 
  BAS not only educates SOC teams on their environment and common attack behaviors, but it also helps enhance security programs by validating the efficacy of detective controls. NetSPI helps define KPIs upfront so security teams can track effectiveness over time. Data is consolidated into one centralized platform with the ability to configure and run customizable procedures.  

• Justify security spending and make the case for increased budget.  
  A common goal for any security team is demonstrating the effectiveness of security spending to executive leadership and the board of directors. And cybersecurity is increasingly becoming a top strategic business priority across organizations, with Gartner predicting that 40 percent of boards of directors will have a dedicated cybersecurity committee by 2024. This has the potential for CISOs and security teams to receive more scrutiny, but also presents opportunities for increased security support and resources. 

With comprehensive breach and attack simulation services, findings are delivered with descriptions, procedures, and recommendations based on expert human analysis. Actionable insights are also available to track and trend your security posture, benchmark against industry competitors, and measure ROI, which can help make the case for an expanded security budget. 

Examples of Breach and Attack Simulation from Gartner 

As threats rapidly evolve, breach and attack simulation vendors continue to improve and expand their technology, features, and scope. While BAS has a wide range of use cases, some common examples Gartner listed include: 

• Complete an attack simulation procedure to better understand gaps in an organization’s security defenses and identify actionable steps to improve security controls 
• Gain an attacker’s outside perspective of an organization’s environment and systems 
• Work in partnership with red teams to run BAS procedures using the methods and approach of real adversaries in a controlled environment 
• Leverage findings from the simulation to flag top risks and vulnerabilities, and identify actionable steps for remediation 

Quick Guide to Evaluating Breach and Attack Simulation Vendors 

Several breach and attack simulation services are available on the market and selecting a partner with advanced technology and a team of proven security experts is critical to protecting against the latest threats. Review the key criteria below to take into consideration when assessing different breach and attack simulation vendors: 

• A single, centralized platform to consolidate and organize relevant data  
• Capabilities for BAS services to be automated, consistent, and continuous 
• White-glove service and communication available throughout the engagement from experienced, trained professionals 
• Customizable procedures to gain an attacker’s view of your environment at scale 
• Seamless user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) for both expert and novice users  
• Extensive, consistently updated security plays and playbooks, that enable organizations to better strengthen security posture 
• Real-time, actionable data to identify trends and coverage gaps, benchmark security posture against competitors, measure ROI of security investments, and prioritize remediation efforts  

Test your security controls with NetSPI’s Breach and Attack Simulation 

Protecting your business effectively against security threats requires a reputable, expert partner. For more than 20 years, NetSPI’s global cybersecurity experts have been trusted partners in securing the world’s most prominent organizations.  

NetSPI’s Breach and Attack Simulation enables organizations to create and execute customized procedures utilizing purpose-built technology. Professional human pentesters simulate real-world attacker behaviors, not just indicators of compromise (IOCs), putting your detective controls to the test in a way no other BAS solution can.  

With the combination of the AttackSim cloud-native technology platform and personalized counsel from NetSPI’s manual testing teams, your organization can build resilience against ransomware, denial of service, data loss, fraud, information leaks, and more.  

Learn more about NetSPI’s Breach and Attack Simulation by downloading our data sheet.